Nursing bottle support



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CIC. BELL NURSING BOTTLE SUPPORT Filed Feb. 3. 1939 May 2l, 1940.

Patented May 21, i940 iATENT OFFICE NURSING BOTTLE SUPPORT Charles CoxBell, Marblehead, Mass.

Application February 3, 1939; Serial No; 254,468

Claims.

My inventionl relates to devices for supporting nursing bottles andconsists, in one aspect, in an improvedV support byY means of which anursing lil l:

bottle-may be' supported directly above the body of an infant lying onitsback.

Ordinarily the process of feedingA aninfant requires that the infantbeheld in a personis lap, theperson feeding the infant using one hand tohold the'I bottle and the other arm tor'support the infant. Inasmuch asthis processie` not only wearisome to the person feeding the child butis alsol undoubtedly uncomfortable for the child, there hasbeen along-felt need for adevice which would; allowv the infant tohlie fiat onits-back and takel its food from a bottle supported in correct nurengyposition. Quite often a bottle is sup-` ported on a pillow at the sideofi'. the infant, but this methodisunsa-tisfactory for the reason thatthe bottle rolls eff the pillow and out of reach of the infant.Furthermore, ifx the changes its position, it can no longer reach thebottle.

Various attempts have been made to devise clamps or supports tov replacethe pillow in the above-mentioned method. However, these substitutes forthe pillow have proved unsatisfactoryffor severa-l@ reasons. l

The supports heretofore used= have been objectionable because theyrequire either that the baby twist itshead toJ one side in. order to.reach the bottle or that the baby be propped up: on its side.Furthermore the baby is entirely free to movewith respect` to thebottle, and it commonly happens that the infant will roll away from thebottle and not be able to reach it again.

The most important object of my invention is to provide a nursing bottlesupport whereby the baby can nurse while in a natural andphysiologically correct position. My invention also has for its objectto provide a bottle holder adapted to be arranged so that the nursinginfant is loosely conned within a zone about the bottle so that theinfant can choose its own gait and thus avoid colic which often resultswhen an infant is required to hold a nipple in its mouth for extendedperiods of time. In such cases the infant sucks in air around the nipplein excessive quantities.

An important feature of the invention resides in a novel clamping devicewhich may be adjusted to maintain the bottle in any predeterminedposition and also allows slight movement of the bottle so that it willrespond to the tugs of a nursing infant.

In addition to the advantages resulting from infant r(Cl. 248-105) theattainment of the foregoing objects of my invention, its use involvesancillary advantages. For example; at present it is necessary that someperson supervise'the feeding of an infant, either holding the infant andthe bottleV or seeing' to it that the infant can reach thel bottle atall times when held in a clamp or other support. When my invention isused', it is only necessary to prepare the bottle, place the supportover the child; and place the bottle in theA support. The infant isthenV able tof carry out the feeding program alone. Thus, a burdenedIparent is' relieved and may devote more-timeto other duties; The timesaving is an important factor, since a nursing infant usually takes from2G minutes to one half hour toV consume a bottle, and? from four to sixlbottles are generally administered eachv day.

Broadly speaking', myfinvent-ion comprises a support adapted to bedisposed at thesidof? an infant, av transverse bar' secured to theVsupport and projecting above and acrossl` the infant, and means onthe'bar for suspending a nursing bottle substantially above thebabyslmouth.

These and other features of the invention will be more readilyunder-stood.an'diappreciatedf from the' following detailed descriptionof a preferred embodiment thereof, selected for purposes of" i1-lustration and shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig'. l?. is a plan view of! a nursing bottle'support constructed.accordingto1 my invention; and

Figi.A 21 is aview partly in. section and. parltlyf in. elevation on aline taken transversely of the device, and

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the rubber gasket.

In the preferred embodiment of my invention as illustrated in thedrawing an inclined bar I0 of Wood or other suitable material is securedat both ends to a pair of identical side supports I2 and I3 which aregenerally triangular in shape and provided with flat bases adapted torest on the flat surface of a bed or wherever it may be convenient toplace the infant during the nursing period. As shown in Fig. 2 an infantI4 lies beneath the transverse bar I0 on a bed I6, and is covered by bedclothes I1.

'Ihe transverse bar I0 is provided with a centrally located aperture I8having sides perpendicular tothe plane of the bar. The aperture I8 isslightly larger than the outside diameter of a standard nursing bottle.In Fig. 2 the device is shown While in use, and it Will appear that anursingl bottle I9 is first surrounded by a rubber skirt or gasket 20which is provided with a centrally located hole considerably smaller indiameter than the diameter of the bottle I9. After the skirt 20 ispulled over the bottle I9, the bottle is thrust through the aperture I8until the rubber gasket l2|) engages the sides of the aperture I8 and bywedging action prevents the bottle from being drawn farther through thehole I8. The level of the milk or other substance in the bottle isindicated at 2l. The inclination of the bar III l] locates the bottle I9in pro-per angular position convenient to the nursing child.

It will be apparent that the location of the nipple 22 is determined bythe position of the rubber gasket 20 on the bottle I9. That is to say,the nipple 22 can be raised or lowered by changing the position of thegasket 20 either nearer or farther from the upper end of the bottle I9.The bottle I9 is not tightly wedged in the hole I8 but may be twisted orrotated somewhat so that it will respond naturally to the tug of thenursing child.

In addition to supporting the nursing bottle in correct nursingposition, my invention renders it unnecessary for the feeding to besupervised. This is accomplished by reason of the fact that the infantis confined between the side members I2 and I3, and I have found that aninfant cannot get so far away from the bottle that it cannot reach itagain without assistance. Furthermore, the bottle I9 may be removed fromthe aperture I8 and inspected if it is desired to ascertain hoW muchmilk, or formula, has been consumed by the baby.

While the rubber gasket is convenient and easy to use, I alsocontemplate the use of any means, such as a coil spring, which willsimultaneously hold the bottle frictionally and form an abutment orshoulder on the bottle larger than the diameter of the aperture in thetransverse member.

It should be understood that the' chief importance of my invention`resides in the fact that the nursing bottle is supported above theinfant when the latter is substantially prone. rWhile I accomplish thisby means of the construction shown in the drawing, it will be apparentthat there are many other Ways of supporting the bottle in correctnursing position. For example, the side members I2 and I3 might beeliminated and one end of the transverse bar I0 could be clamped to thebars of a crib. The bottle would still be supported in correct nursingposition, although the device could then be conveniently used only inconjunction with a crib, whereas the feeder shown in the drawing may beused wherever there is a flat surface` for the bases of the members I2and I3 to rest upon. In any event, it should be understood thatmy'invention is not limited to the precise construction shown in thedrawing but may be practiced with the use of equivalent means within thescope of the apf pended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent'of the'United States is:

1. A device for feeding an infant, which comprises a pair of supportsarranged to be disposed at opposite sides of a prone infant, an inclinedtransverse member connecting the upper ends of said supports andprovided with a centrally located aperture, and a fiexible gasketarranged to iit over a nursing bottle and hold it at a predeterminedposition in the aperture.

2. A device for feeding an infant from a bottle which comprises a barhaving an aperture, means for'supporting said bar yabove and across thebody of an infant, and means arranged to t over a bottle and hold it incorrect nursing position in the aperture in said bar.

3. A device for feeding an infant from a nursing bottle, which comprisesan apertured member, means for supporting the member above and across aprone infant, and a rubber ring provided with a central opening smallerthan the diameter of a nursing bottle and which frictionally engages andholds a bottle, whereby a bottle encompassed by said ring may beinserted in the aperture of said member` and prevented from passingtherethrough by the wedging action of said rubber ring.

4. A device for feeding an infant from a bottle which comprises a bar,means for supporting the bar above and across the body of an infant,said bar having an aperture, and a flexible resilient member adapted tomaintain a nursing bottle in said aperture in correct nursing position.

5. A device for feeding an infant, which comprises a pair of supportsarranged to be disposedat opposite sides of a prone infant, a transversemember connecting the upper ends of said sup ports and provided with acentrally located aperture, and a exible gasket arranged to fit over aknursing bottle and `hold it at a predetermined position in theaperture.

CHARLES COX BELL.

